A Trial of Sin
by CCD
Summary: Al is gone and Ed has lost his will to live. When the state suspects foul play in Al's death, Ed is placed in Roy Mustang's care. Will Ed choose to live for the people he loves or will he succumb to this trial of his sins.
1. Insult to Sacrifice

A Trial of Sin  
Prologue: Insult to Sacrifice  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD

* * *

Edward Elric let the rain fall upon him. He was wrapped in a blanket and suffered from shock and had multiple cuts and markings on his body. Colonel Mustang was commanding many of the men to investigate. He immediately walked over to Ed and sat down next to him.

"Fullmetal, I know this is hard for you, but we need you to give a report. We need to know what happened out there."

Ed didn't respond. He wanted nothing to do anything for the military anymore. It would be an insult to the sacrifice his remaining family had made.

"Did you hear me, Edward?"

"I did, but why should I give you a report. I already told you what happened. You write the report. I have nothing more to tell you."

"Edward, you're being reckless. I think there is more than what you told me. I refuse to believe that this is all you have to say."

"I will not give the military a statement. I'm through with the military. I'm through being a dog of the state," Ed said as he took off his pocket watch and threw it at Mustang before turning to walk away from him.

"Edward, wait. Get back here."

Ed ignored him and started to run. Mustang followed after him. He wasn't about to let the young alchemist run away from him. Mustang stumbled through the rain until he saw Ed trip and fall face first onto the muddy road. By the time he reached Ed, he realized that Ed was unconscious. He gently lifted the young alchemist into his arms and carried him to the nearest car.


	2. Guardian

A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 1: Guardian  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD

A/N: I know Hughes dies in FMA, but I didn't want to get rid of him so he's in this. Also, I don't know if this is true or a rumor about a Parliament being set up in place of the Fuher, but I'm going with the idea anyway. (I've only seen up to With the River's Flow so, I don't really know how it ends.) I also know about Mustang losing one of his eyes due to a gunshot wound, but again I decided to get rid of that.

* * *

Roy Mustang sat in his office. He couldn't concentrate on the paperwork that sat in front of him. Many of his subordinates were giving him weird stares at the fact that he had even touched a piece of paperwork without being urged to by Lt. Hawkeye or being rushed to finish. It wasn't helping his mood.

"If you don't stop staring at me, we'll find out just what a barbeque soldier looks like."

He had never seen his subordinates move so fast. It was refreshing or at least it was until he noticed that Lt. Hawkeye hadn't moved. He looked at her.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Sir, are you planning to do something about Edward?"

Roy frowned. He didn't want to talk about Edward or what was to become of him. It also annoyed him that all of his subordinates were staring at him again.

"What concern is it of yours Lt. Hawkeye? It is up to the state as to whether or not they believe his story and if he leaves the military there's nothing I can do."

"That's not what I mean, sir. If you were really paying attention to your paperwork, you would have realized it."

Mustang gave her a questionable look that asked for elaboration. When she didn't answer he turned his chair to face the window and stood up.

"Well then Lt. Hawkeye, enlighten me on my own paperwork."

"Sir, the state was willing to let, Edward work for the state and have his brother tag along, because he had no home and no other family. Now Alphonse is gone, and if he quits the military, he will have no way to take care of himself. He is still a minor sir and they are going to require that he have a legal guardian to look after him. As it is, the military cannot let Ed serve anymore until he gets out of the hospital."

Mustang continued to stare out the window. He knew Ed was in the hospital, since he was the one to take him there after his collapse three days beforehand. Ed had woken up, but had yet to say a word to anybody. Doctors had kept them in the hospital to treat him for shock, but Ed's sadness was the real problem and that at this point in time is incurable. Before Mustang could answer her, the office door swung open to reveal Maes Hughes followed by Major Armstrong.

"How you doing, Roy? It's been a long time since we've talked. You just have to look at this picture of Elisia. Isn't she a bundle of divine cuteness?"

"I'm not in the mood, Maes. Now why are you and Major Armstrong here? You didn't come here from Central for nothing."

"The head of Parliament asked me to give this to you personally. Supposedly he's transferring the two of us here for a few months."

The Colonel opened the letter. It was short, but placed a great burden on the Colonel. He placed the letter on the desk and sank down to the chair. His jaw tightened.

"You Ok, Roy?" Hughes asked.

"I'm fine just fine," Mustang replied, his face was pale and spooked

Hughes snatched up the letter and started to read it before his old friend started to complain.

"Give that back, Hughes."

"I want to know what it says."

"I'll torch you."

The threat never really worked. Mustang would never hurt his own men, let alone his friend and Hughes knew this. The Colonel normally wouldn't have cared, as long as his men didn't know, but this was major. Hughes finished the letter and sat down himself.

"What is it Lt. Colonel Hughes?" Major Armstrong asked.

"Ed's been dishonorably discharged from the military for his 'lies' and deceit to the military. Roy has been made his legal guardian until he can either take care of himself both physically and mentally or he reaches the age of 18."


	3. He is a Child

A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 2: He is a Child  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD

* * *

The hospital held the smell of rubber and cleaning agents. It had been a long time since Colonel Mustang had walked through these halls. The last time had been a military physical and that was about two years ago. Hospitals never were a place that the Colonel liked to go to due to the fact that it reminded him of the Doctors he had shot during the Ishbal rebellion. 

He reached a room in the military's private ward and paused. The nametag on the door read Major Edward Elric. Mustang sighed. He had dreaded this all week. Today was the day Ed would enter into his custody. He knew that the teenager had not taken the news well, because Hughes had gone to tell him what had been decreed, and Ed threw a fit, during which doctors had to sedate him.

Mustang knocked and walked into the room. Ed was sitting in a chair by the window. He was looking outside at the ground below and didn't turn to look him when he entered. This was odd to Colonel since he knew the young alchemist liked to make rude comments.

The Colonel walked over to Ed and studied him closer. Ed was pale and thinner than Mustang remembered him being. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and his eyes were sad and haunting. Ed's long hair, which was normally braided, hung loose down his back. Mustang thought this made Ed look fragile, vulnerable, and younger than he actually was.

"Edward, it's time to leave. Your paperwork is already completed and..." the Colonel started to say, but was cut off by Ed

"I'm not going."

Mustang sighed. He was expecting this kind of rebellion from Ed, but it was going to be unlikely that the young alchemist would be able to stop him.

"This is not an offer, Edward. As much as I also don't like it, I have been ordered to take care of you by the state, until you can take care of yourself. Doctors and what happened to Alphonse have been stacked against you so it is nearly impossible for you to get out of this at this time."

"I don't care. Leave now!"

Ed stood up and turned to face the Colonel. He had anger, sadness, and fatigue in his eyes. He continued his voice rising to yell even louder than he had been yelling.

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU. I REFUSE TO GO WITH YOU OR DO WHAT THE STATE ORDERS ME TO DO."

After that, Mustang noticed Ed staggered forward before starting to fall. He ran and caught the young alchemist before he could hit the floor. He turned him over to realize that Ed had passed out possibly from lack of sleep and nourishment. He picked him up turned to see a doctor in the doorway.

"I came running with a sedative when I heard him yelling, but it appears that he overexerted himself. He hasn't been the easiest of patients, I'll tell you that."

"I know. His brother's death has been hard on him. His release papers have been signed and he's in my custody now."

"I wish you luck. Maybe you can get him to eat something. We've tried many times, but he throws it at us or spits it out of his mouth at us, childish, if you ask me."

"He is a child, but that's why we have to look after him," Mustang said before stepping past the doctor and carried Ed out to the car where Havoc was waiting to take him home.


	4. Two Choices

A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 3: Two Choices  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD

* * *

Edward Elric woke to find he was no longer in the hospital where he had spent the last three weeks. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult to do so. His arms couldn't hold his weight long enough for him to sit up.

"I wouldn't try anything, Edward. You'll kill yourself with your stubbornness."

Ed frowned. Now he knew where he was. The Colonel must have brought him to his home while he was sleeping.

"I'll do what I want to do," Ed replied weakly.

"Really, if that's so then why couldn't you sit up when you tried a minute ago," Colonel Mustang asked curious to know Ed's response.

"I changed my mind," Ed lied.

"You need to stop lying, Edward. It's not healthy for you. The same goes for depriving yourself of food and sleep. It won't bring your brother back and dying this way is the last thing he would have wanted."

"What do you know?"

"That I'm your legal guardian and I've been given orders to make sure you stay alive and that your health improves. In order to get out of my custody you have to prove to the state that you can care for yourself."

"You've told me that 50 times already, so stop repeating it," Ed said as he once again tried to sit up and failed.

"You need to stay down. Your too weak to sit up and besides that your on doctors orders not to move a lot until you start eating properly and get some rest."

"Your not my mother, so stop telling me how to take care of myself."

"Suit yourself. I'll be back with some food in a minute. It's still up to you whether or not you want to eat it, but if I see you're getting worse, I'll sit here and make you eat it. The last thing I need is to get in trouble for your stubbornness."

Ed made a noise of annoyance as he watched Mustang walk through the bedroom door. He hated the Colonel and even more, having the Colonel take care of him. What bothered him more were his actions over the past couple of weeks. It wasn't like him to just give up on life so suddenly and stop caring. It wouldn't be what Al and his mother wanted.

_Damn it, I hate it when the Colonel's right._

Edward closed his eyes. He didn't want to think of his brother or his mother. Their deaths brought back the most painful memories of his life. What he wanted more than ever was to see them again. Maybe that was the reason he had given up all hope in life. Death, and quick death would bring him closer to the family that had preceded him in death.

Ed wound these troubling thoughts over and over in his mind like a broken record. His mind screamed for him to live for his family, but his heart begged for death so that he could see them again. The young alchemist was so confused. His thoughts were broken when the Colonel came back in with some food on a plate.

"I'm leaving this here if you get hungry. I'll be back to check on you later," he said setting the food down on a table near the bed where he could reach it in his weak state.

Mustang turned to leave. He thought maybe if he left Ed would eat something. He was almost to the door when Ed stopped him.

"Colonel, is it wrong to want to be with the people who you care about the most."

Mustang froze. Ed had asked him a question, a personal question. He turned to look at the young alchemist in bed. Mustang knew Ed hated him and asking a personal question would have been totally out of character for young alchemist. Yet he had asked it and was expecting an honest answer. The Colonel approached the bed and sat down in the chair he had occupied while waiting for Ed to wake up. Now it was his turn to be out of character.

"I don't think it's wrong, Edward. There are things I wish I could change, people I would want back, but we both know that it's impossible. We can miss them, but when I think about who these people were and what they were like, I realize that they would want me to keep going and live for them. It's an ugly and unfair world out there, but we just have to put one foot in front of the other and move forward."

Mustang finished and looked down at the young alchemist. Ed was looking away from him. Mustang saw that there were tears falling down Ed's face. He had seen Ed cry on very few occasions. The death of Nina Tucker, the murder attempt of Barry the Chopper, and Al's death were the three other times he could recount Ed crying.

"I know it's hard to be without your family, Edward, but when you look at the two options before you, which one would benefit you the most and which one would your family want you to follow? Would your brother want you to remain on the path you've chosen or would he want you to change and take care of yourself? That's what you need to determine for yourself, Edward."

Ed didn't answer him. Mustang rose and walked to the other side of the room. He helped Ed sit up in bed. Ed gave him a puzzling look. Mustang didn't give an explanation for his behavior. Instead he reached back into his holster for his gun. The Colonel placed it on the other side of the bed on a nightstand parallel with the food on the table. Both were within Ed's reach.

"You have two choices Ed. You can kill yourself with the gun or eat the food and survive. Just do yourself a favor and make a choice with the knowledge that whichever you choose, you can't change your mind. No one should have to suffer like this so end it one way or the other. I'll be back in an hour to check on you," Mustang said before exiting the room.


	5. Edward's Decision

**A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 4: Edward's Decision  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

* * *

Ed winced as he heard the front door slam shut. He couldn't believe the Colonel had actually done what he did. Mustang had left Ed alone with both of his options fully within his grasp. He could take the easy way out and shoot himself or he could eat the food Mustang left for him and take his chances with living. He didn't know what he wanted anymore.

"Al, if you were here, I wouldn't even think twice about my options. I would choose to stay alive, but now that you're gone, I don't know anymore."

He knew his brother couldn't respond to him, yet he formulated the conversation that he and his brother would have had in his mind.

**_"Brother, you know I want you to live."_**

"How can I live when you're not with me? We were all we had in this world and now that you're gone what do I have left to live for."

**_"Ed, do you remember when we were in Liore and Rose asked the same question? You told her that she had a strong pair of legs and that she should get up and use them. You have your limbs back brother and a strong pair of legs. You should get up and use them."_**

"I can't, Al. There was no fair equivalence. I lost you in exchange for my limbs. I shouldn't be able to just get up and use them. I can't do that knowing what was sacrificed for them."

**_"Brother, you shouldn't think about that. You should move forward for Winry, Pinako, all the people we've met, the people in the military that became our friends, and Colonel Mustang. They want to see you live just as much as I do."_**

"Yeah right, that's why he left his gun here where I can reach it and left me here."

**_"He's testing you, brother. He wants to see you choose life, but he's letting you make that decision instead of forcing you. Please brother make the right decision for everyone, but especially for you."_**

The fantasy conversation with his brother disappeared from his mind and he was left with his own thoughts and feelings. He knew he had to choose one option or the other. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry everyone…"

* * *

"Do you think it was wise to leave him alone chief?"

Mustang looked up from the paperwork on his desk. Havoc was leaning against a desk and smoking a cigarette. Hawkeye looked up at the two men and was waiting for an answer.

"He needs to figure things out for himself. He's lost his will to live and only he can change that. I can't make that decision for him. I left food on one side of the bed and a gun on the other. I'm not going to make the decision for him because I can't force someone to live who doesn't want to live."

The two lieutenants looked at each other. They knew Al's death had affected Ed greatly, but they didn't know it was that bad. Both of them were equally shocked to find out what the Colonel had done. It wasn't like him to act this rash, especially to one of the Elrics.

"Sir, with all due respect, I think we should go check on him. What if he chose to shoot himself? You can't afford to let Edward die on your watch. You won't be able to achieve your goal. It's been about an hour since you left him and if he chooses that path, we could save him," Lt. Hawkeye said.

Mustang sighed. She was right. They couldn't afford to let Edward die.

"You're right Lieutenant. Let's go."

Mustang, Hawkeye, and Havoc drove to the house in silence. All of them felt the need to check on the young alchemist and to see the decision that he had made. When they arrived, they entered the house silently and went directly to the bedroom that had Edward in it.

"One the count of three, we're going in," Mustang said placing his hand around the knob.

Lt. Hawkeye and Lt. Havoc nodded. Both braced their selves for the worst. Ed could be dead behind the door and they would have to face that.

"OK. One, two, three…"

The three of them barreled through the door. They stopped short and breathed a sigh of relief. The food was nearly gone on the table and Edward lay sleeping on the bed. His face looked peaceful as if no longer tormented by his brother's death.

Mustang looked at the other table to see that his gun lay there, but he noticed that it wasn't how he had left it. His teeth clenched together as he ran towards the bed and ripped off the sheets.

"Colonel, what are you doing?" Hawkeye asked.

"My gun isn't in the same position as I left it. He touched it. I'm looking to see if he shot himself."

Mustang checked the boy up and down. He saw no sign that the boy had shot himself, so he let out his breath in relief. Ed was OK.

"He's fine. Edward didn't do anything. He probably just debated over the gun and put it back down."

"That's a relief, chief. Knowing Ed, he probably could have gone either way," Havoc commented as Mustang placed the covers back over the young boy.

"We'll leave you alone now, sir. Hopefully we can pull Ed out of his shell and get him to live like he use to," Hawkeye said as she and Havoc saluted and exited the house.

Mustang sat down in a chair next to the bed. He watched Ed as he slept peacefully. Roy Mustang had never seen his young subordinate at peace like this before. The young Colonel smiled as he reached over and brushed Ed's bangs out of his face. He then rose from his chair, grabbed the food tray as well as his gone and left his young ward sleeping and dreaming of happier times.


	6. I Wish

A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 5: I Don't Know What You're Going Through, But I Wish There Was Something More I Could Do to Help  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD

* * *

Colonel Mustang sighed as he placed his uniform jacket on the back of one of his kitchen chairs and threw his gloves on the table. He had just gotten back from a briefing at work and had come home with a ton of paperwork that probably wouldn't get done until just before he left to turn them back in the next morning. The young Colonel stretched and ran a hand through his short black hair before turning to find something for his young ward and him to eat.

Edward was turning out to be not that much of a challenge to take care of. Ed had been eating everything Mustang gave him without much of a fuss. He was still a too weak to get out of bed for long periods of time due to the fact that he had starved himself off and on for 3 weeks while he was in the hospital. That was why Mustang had brought his paperwork home. The man had to take care of his stubborn ward.

Roy sighed. He still wasn't use to the idea of taking care of the young alchemist. Over the past week, since Ed had come to live with him, Roy had to change his daily routines to involve caring for Ed. Mustang liked the challenge and as the days went by he noticed that young blond headed boy was slowly recovering and healing. The elder alchemist smiled at the thought as he finished making Ed's lunch and placed it on a tray. He quickly grabbed some juice from the fridge and placed it on the tray before taking off towards Edwards's room.

* * *

Edward was lying down on his bed. He had been up for hours and had been reading a book before feeling lightheaded. He had put the book down and laid down hoping the feeling would pass before Colonel Mustang had returned home. He could just here the snide remarks of the elder man if he discovered the young alchemist.

Nothing had changed between the two of them and that's how Ed wanted it to stay. He would prove to the state that he could take care of himself and prove the fact that it was the transmutation that had taken Al away from him and allowed him to get his limbs back. How he hated the enemy for doing that to his little brother and how he hated himself for believing their words. He lifted up his right hand as if he was trying to touch the ceiling. He was whole again, but the price was too much for his mind to handle. He told Al that he would live for him, but living was so hard.

"You're not feeling sorry for yourself again are you Fullmetal?"

He dropped his hand and made a sound of annoyance before pushing himself up so that he could see the cocky man better.

"You know you could knock before you come in here. This is my room you know. And last time I checked, I was stripped of my alchemic title."

"Yes, but if I did knock, you wouldn't answer me and I would have to come in anyway. As far as this being your room, you're lucky to have a room to yourself," he said before he walked to the bed with the tray of food before continuing, "As for your title, you will always be the Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't think the people would want the name of their precious hero taken over by another alchemist."

"Bastard…" Ed muttered under his breath in frustration.

"After all I've done for you since you've gotten yourself in this mess and that's the kind of thanks I get Ed. I'm hurt."

"You'll live without one person fawning over you."

Ed had closed his eyes upon saying this. He was feeling lightheaded again and a bit dizzy, but he wouldn't tell the Colonel that. He heard the Colonel place the tray of food on the nightstand next to the bed like he always did.

"Is something wrong, Ed?"

Ed's eyes opened and he stared at the Colonel who had taken his usual seat at Ed's bedside.

"No, you're just being annoying. Why do you always ask me that anyway?"

"I ask because you always look like you're unhealthy and today you look exceptionally pale."

"Like you care," Ed said before he started to eat the food the Colonel brought him.

Roy watched him eat hoping that the young boy would regain some color in his face. He could tell that Ed wasn't feeling good, but he knew better than to push the issue. The young alchemist would fight him to no end. Mustang couldn't help but be worried. He may be hard on Ed at times, but he still knew Ed was a child in many ways.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"No reason, I have bigger things on my mind than you."

"Fine, then stop staring at me."

Mustang looked away and let Ed finish his food. Despite Ed's assurances that he was fine, he wouldn't leave him until he was convinced that his stubborn ward was OK.

"Colonel, I'm not a child anymore. I will prove to the state that I can take care of myself as soon as I get better. I'm getting stronger as it is…" Ed said, before Mustang cut him off.

"Edward, what do you plan to do after you do that? I know you could always go back to Resembol, but I have a feeling you won't be satisfied there. I doubt that you'll be able to rejoin the military or the fact if you even want to after everything that's happened. You have no real goals left that I'm aware of…"

"Shut up," Ed said, this time being the one to cut Mustang off.

Mustang sat back. The Flame Alchemist was generally concerned about the young alchemist despite the fact he hardly showed it. Since Ed had entered into his office all those years ago, determined to pass the State Alchemist exam, the flame Colonel had felt responsible for him. Roy sighed, he may feel responsible for Ed, but he was still not one of Ed's parents and therefore wouldn't get anywhere with him.

"Edward, I know you're still frustrated and I know that it's hard. I can't even imagine what you're going through right now, but you need to reprioritize your goals before you launch yourself back into the world."

"I KNOW THAT!"

Ed had yelled and threw the covers off his body. He slid to the edge of the bed as if looking to run.

"What are you doing Ed?"

"Getting the hell away from you!"

Ed looked around and saw that the quickest way to get away from his guardian was the bathroom. His dizziness had returned and he knew he was going to have to get to the bathroom quickly. He began walking quickly. When he was halfway there he stopped. The weak teen was so dizzy that he couldn't see strait and soon his body started to fall to the floor."

Mustang watched in some amusement as the teen struggled with walking to the bathroom. His amusement was short lived as he saw Ed stop and then fall. The Flame Colonel jumped up and caught him before he could hit the floor.

Roy gently lifted the boy and placed him on the bed. He felt his forehead and knew immediately that Edward had a fever. Frowning, he grabbed a cloth that was in a bowl on the bedside table. It was there in case Ed had started running one of his fevers, which were even more frequent now despite Ed's improving health.

I'm sorry Ed, I wish there was something more I can do.


	7. Visitors

**A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 6: Visitors  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

A/N: Sorry this is so short. I wanted to update before I start my summer semester at college. My college is weird with two, eight-week blocks so the classes are sped up. It's going to be crazy and I may not be able to update for a while so here you go

* * *

It was a warm spring day in East City. Many of the homes had their windows open and people were greeting each other and visiting on porches. Among those people was Edward Elric.

The young alchemist was happy to be out of the house. Since his collapse a few weeks beforehand, the Colonel had made him stay in bed. After some complaint and argument, Mustang had decided that it would be all right for him to go outside for a little while. And so, the blond teenager was sitting on the porch swing reading a book.

"Enjoying yourself, Edward," came a voice to his left.

Ed sighed in annoyance and looked up at his former superior officer. He put his book down before acknowledge him.

"I was before you came out. What do you want?"

"Just checking on you,"

"Yeah right," Ed muttered under his breath.

"What was that Ed? You want to go back inside."

"I'm fine. Why don't you go bug someone else for a change?"

The Colonel smirked and walked back into the house. He knew that Edward was going to be all right on his own. The teenager had a strong will when he set his mind to do something. Besides, the Flame Alchemist was expecting Hawkeye to come with his paperwork and he knew that she wouldn't be alone, nor would she just want to leave without checking on Edward's progress. It would be a relief to his other subordinates to know that the temperamental teenager that they had come to care about was doing OK.

As if it was timed, Lt. Hawkeye showed up. In the vehicle with her, was Lt. Colonel Hughes and Lt. Havoc. Upon seeing Ed on the porch, Hughes ran up to him.

"Ed, how you doing?"

"Lt. Colonel Hughes, what's been going on with you? Been too busy to come say hello?"

"Maes, don't get him worked up. Today's the first day he's been out," Colonel Mustang said from the door.

"Really, now."

"He's been treating me like a porcelain doll. It's annoying. Tell him to stop," Ed protested

By this time, Hawkeye and Havoc had walked up to the porch and were watching the argument. Havoc was trying to stifle a laugh while Hawkeye stepped forward and saluted.

"It's good to see your well, Edward."

"It's good to see you too, Lt. Hawkeye and stop saluting. I'm not a member of the military anymore."

"Sorry Edward, but it's a habit"

"Lt. Hawkeye, I need that paperwork," Mustang said.

"Yes sir," Hawkeye replied as she followed him into the house.

The porch was then silent. Hughes sat down next to Ed and Havoc leaned against the porch rail. Havoc lit a cigarette before speaking.

"Are you really all right chief?"

"Yeah, I know that Al would want me here. He would want me to live and be content while I can. Besides if I go, then who would be here to keep you on your toes."

Hughes and Havoc started to laugh. It felt good to see that Ed was back to his old self again and would be fine.

* * *

"Colonel, is he going to be Ok?"

"He still gets fevers from time to time, but for the most part he's doing fine. He's determined to live now."

"Sir with all due respect. He's…"

"…just a child. I know. Don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he'll be fine."

The two of them were silent for a moment.

"I'm glad he's doing better, sir."

"So am I Hawkeye. So am I."


	8. For Us To Trust You

**_A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 7: For Us To Trust You, You Have To Trust Us  
_December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Hawkeye?" Roy Mustang asked as he stared at the paperwork in his hand.

"Yes sir, it appears that they want to keep all of this as low key as possible. If the higher ups condemn him, then the state's control could crumble a little. After all, those who have met Edward know him better than to kill his own brother."

"So they put him in my custody to shut him up. Then there's no chance that they'll let him walk away."

"Sir, they may threaten him to keep quiet after he turns eighteen. I'm sure he feels guilty about being alive when his brother isn't. Whose to say that the military won't target other people that he cares for or considers friends."

"This is true. Don't mention anything about this to him. He has enough to deal with right now. I know he's normally solid about his decisions, but I can tell he's still struggling. This isn't over by a long shot."

"Yes sir."

* * *

"Hughes, I may not be in the military, but if I see another picture of your daughter I'll take a note from the Colonel and torch it."

"Now, don't get all worked up," Hughes said as he placed his newest picture of his daughter in his pocket, "I just wanted to see if you really were Ok. You gave us all a scare when you were in the hospital and to be honest I don't think you're as fine as you say you are."

"He's right chief. You're still not 100 percent back to your old self," Havoc said agreeing with Hughes.

"I'm working on it. It's not easy you know and Mustang just makes it worse. He treats me like a porcelain doll and I hate it. I know that you guys think I'm going to do something crazy again, but I'm not. I just don't know what I can do to regain some trust around here."

Hughes and Havoc looked at each other before nodding. At least the were in agreement. Hughes placed the back of his hand on Ed's forehead making the young alchemist frown.

"What?" he asked with a bit of anger in his voice.

"Well you don't have a fever. Ok who are you and what did you do with Edward Elric," Hughes asked jokingly.

Ed pushed Hughes hand away. He was even more upset with Hughes than with Mustang at this point. He was trying so hard to get things back to normalcy and no one was making it easier for him or taking him seriously.

"Great, not you too," he muttered under his breath.

"Seriously Ed, we're just looking out for you. I know it's hard since you're use to being the one who takes care of things, but for right now you need to heal and let us do the work. Trust me, your not ready to just pick things up where they left off and if you really want us to trust you, you have to do the same for a while. Why don't you try giving in to Roy sometimes and actually doing what he asks of you?" Hughes asked in a gentle tone.

"The day I follow that morally bankrupt Colonel with a God complex will be the day I do a successful human transmutation. Besides, his ego needs to be shot down once in a while," Ed growled back through clenched teeth.

Havoc and Hughes started to laugh. There was the Fullmetal Alchemist they knew so well. It took a minute for them to calm down before Hughes continued.

"You have to face the fact that he's the one responsible for you at the moment Ed. He's the one who you have to gain the trust of and you'll see. Little by little the doors will open up to you again and you will be able to move forward like you did in the past. Things will get hard once those doors start to open again, but Roy will be there for you to lean on like you leaned on Al."

"Yeah, and we'll be here to back up the Colonel, so you've got nothing to worry about, chief," Havoc chimed in wanting to give his support as well.

The three of them were silent for a moment. Ed leaned back on the swing and tilted his head back. He closed his eyes and smiled.

"I'll think about it."

"You'll think about what Fullmetal."

Ed's eyes snapped open to see Mustang walk onto the porch followed by Lt. Hawkeye.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about Colonel."

Mustang merely shrugged and looked at Lt. Havoc and Hughes.

"The three of you need to be getting back to Headquarters before you're missed. We'll discuss this stuff tomorrow in my office."

"Yes sir," Lt Hawkeye said as she walked down the porch followed by Lt. Havoc.

Lt. Colonel Hughes started to follow, but stopped when he got the Colonel. He placed a hand gently on his friends shoulder.

"Take care of him, Roy. He needs looking after even if he won't tell you himself."

"I do not!" Ed yelled when he heard him.

The two friends smiled. They knew Ed would deny it to his dying day and to them, that was Ok at the moment.

"Don't worry Maes, he's in safe hands. I'll take care of them. Now get back to the office before you're missed. Can't have you demoted now, can we?"

Hughes laughed and walked off the porch to the car. He turned and waved at Ed, who was still fuming on the porch. The Lt Colonel then climbed in the car and it sped away.

The black-haired alchemist took this opportunity to turn and look at the blond alchemist. It took a moment for the fuming alchemist realized that he was being stared at.

"What are you looking at?"

"I thought that was obvious, Fullmetal. I'm looking at you."

"Well, stop. It's annoying."

"Then stop fuming, Edward. Hughes is right. You do need looking after," Roy said as he sat down on the swing next to Ed."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

The Colonel sighed. He had started to notice that when Ed got wound up, he started to run a fever and it eventually led to him collapsing.

"Settle down Edward, before I take you inside and put you to bed. You make yourself sick when you get like this and that's when you pass out. I know you don't want to be bedridden for another week."

The young Colonel couldn't tell if this had calmed the boy down or wound him up even more. All he knew was that it was enough to shut him up for now, which was exactly what Mustang wanted at the moment. If Edward were quiet, then he would eventually calm down to the point where he would relax.

Roy closed his eyes for a moment. That was one of the things that had been bothering him. Where his young ward was mentally improving bit by bit, his body was struggling to keep up with the demands Ed was putting on them. Roy had a few ideas as to why, but he wanted a solid answer.

"Why?"

Roy's eyes snapped open and looked at Edward. The boy had drawn his legs up under his chin and with both arms wrapped around them. He stared off into the distance as if deep in thought.

"Why what, Edward?"

"Why do I still get sick when I'm trying so hard to get better?"

The Colonel shuttered. He was still not used to Edward being completely open with him and to be asked a question that he didn't have a definite answer to… Roy let the thought hanging in his mind. He had to be honest with Edward on this matter.

"I honestly don't know, Edward, but tomorrow the state had requested that you go in for a checkup so they can see how you're progressing. Maybe then we can get some definite answers."

Ed nodded and then shivered. He tried to hide it from the Colonel because he knew it was getting colder outside as the sun started to set and he would have to go inside so as not to get worse. Unfortunately the Colonel did see him.

"Cold Fullmetal,"

Ed didn't respond. He didn't want to go inside. He wanted to enjoy the little bit of freedom he had gotten today a bit longer before going back inside. Going inside meant going back into a cage.

Mustang took his silence as a yes and he knew why. Edward had practically begged him to come outside, by whining as usual. Ed wouldn't want to go inside because of a little chill.

"We just finished talking about how you were sick and not improving and yet you want to stay out," he muttered loud enough for Ed to hear as he got up and went into the house.

He came back out a moment later with a heavy blanket and threw it on the teen's head. Ed yanked it down and gave the Colonel his usual scowl.

"What was that for?"

"You're cold so bundle up. You can stay out for another hour and then you have to come in. Until then enjoy," Mustang, replied as he walked back into the house and shut the door behind him.

Ed took the blanket and wrapped it around his thin form. He suspected that the Colonel knew he was sick, but that he didn't know how sick he was. The young alchemist wasn't just passing out, but having frequent dizzy spells and nighttime coughing fits. It had been mild all day, but he knew tonight would bring the same hacking cough that tore at his lungs and made his whole chest burn.

"Tomorrow," he said weakly, "I can find out what's wrong with me tomorrow."


	9. What's Wrong With Me?

**_A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 8: What's Wrong With Me?  
_December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

A/N: I've decided that it would be better that I didn't answer questions at the beginning of my chapters so I made a Forum through Fan that you can go up and ask me questions or you can put questions in the review and I will respond to these questions up there. You will find the link in my bio section on my author's page. Anyway Enjoy!

* * *

Edward hated Hospitals. He really did. They reminded him of all the terrors that happened in the world. It was bad enough that he was almost there, but also that the Colonel had dragged him out of bed to get there. 

"Couldn't we have waited till my appointment tomorrow?" Ed asked hoping the Colonel would have Lt. Havoc turn around and take them back to the house.

"No, you were coughing so bad that you couldn't breathe. Something's really wrong here and we're going to find out what it is so that we can get you back to health."

"But…"

"Damn it Edward, don't argue with me. You wanted to know what was wrong with you earlier. Let's just get it over with and then worry about it later."

Ed cringed. He had never heard the Colonel curse before and he doubt that it would be the last time. That wasn't what was bothering him though. He was having the same symptoms his mother had had before she passed away, what if it was the same disease. One that had no cure or any hope surrounding it…

His body chose that moment to send him into another violent coughing fit. He could vaguely hear Mustang tell Havoc to drive faster as he gasped and tried to take in air that wouldn't come into his body. It was too much for his body to handle as he tried to avoid the pain as he slipped into darkness.

Ed woke up to voices in the room. He was a bit disoriented and his chest hurt. The young alchemist coughed catching the attention of the two people in the room.

"Edward, are you awake."

He opened his eyes to see the Colonel was standing there with a doctor. The doctor took his leave as Mustang turned to look at his ward. Ed knew in an instant from looking at the Colonel's concerned face that something was seriously wrong.

"What's wrong with me, Roy?"

The Colonel was startled. Ed never called him by his first name. He had also never seen the Fullmetal Alchemist so sick before. Granted his attempt to kill himself could be seen as sick, but Roy didn't want to think about that at the moment. Mustang took a seat next to Ed.

"We don't know yet Ed, but the doctors are running tests and they should at least tell us something."

At this Edward closed his eyes. Mustang knew the boy was in pain and needed more rest than what he had gotten.

"Go back to sleep Edward. I'll wake you as soon as we know something, I promise."

A few moments later Edward was sound asleep. Roy leaned back in his chair and sighed. He had been extremely worried when he had woken to the sound of coughing and so he went to check on Edward. The boy's face was pale and he was having a hard time breathing. The Colonel had immediately tried to soothe the boy and then called Lt. Havoc to ask for a ride to the hospital. To make matters worse, the fits had gotten so bad that Ed had passed out from lack of air. Just how many nights had this same thing happen?

Mustang checked to make sure that the boy was still sleeping before hunting down some coffee. He needed a caffeine fix to stay awake a little longer and to calm his nerves. As he started to come out of the room he saw Hughes waling down the hall with two cups, a thermos, and a bag of doughnuts.

"Hey, I thought you could use some coffee and food," Hughes said in greeting as he sat down and poured a cup of coffee for his weary friend.

The two of them were silent for a moment as the Colonel savored the taste of fresh coffee and the settling of his nerves. Hughes studied his friend for a moment before deciding to say something.

"Lt. Havoc called me, you know. He said you could use some support. What the hell happened Roy?"

"He was having a coughing fit and couldn't breathe Maes. He passed out on the way here. For a moment, I thought he was dying and there wasn't anything I could do."

"Have the doctors found anything?"

"No, they're running some blood tests and if that doesn't work, then they'll try something else."

"He'll pull through. If there's one thing I know about Ed is that he bounces back twice as hard from trials."

"How much longer is he going to suffer? First he lost his mother and then he and Al lost so much trying to bring her back; then suffered from his trials in the military. Then he lost Al somehow and Hawkeye gave me a report that the brass wants to shut him up, and now this."

"I know you're not religious Roy, but why don't you try having a little bit of faith in him. I know it's hard, but these trials have made him stronger over the years. In the end, everything will work out."

"We don't know what's wrong with him. How do you know things will work out?"

"Even if it should turn out to be the worst, at least he won't suffer anymore and he'll be with both his mother and brother. I think that's all he wanted all this time is to have his family. After all Roy, when you got hurt as a child, whom did you go running to?"

"My mother," the Colonel muttered under his breath.

"Exactly! A month ago, when Ed…"

"You don't have to tell me what happened, I know."

Hughes sighed before continuing.

"At that time it seemed to be the only way to get to the two people that he knew he could lean on. I don't think he's ever thought about leaning on us before and now that he has no family left he finds himself doing so. You know maybe you should get in touch with Winry Rockbell and see if she'll come see Ed. I think he would like that."

"I'll consider it. First and foremost we need to find out what's wrong with Ed."

"And we will, Roy. Don't beat yourself up over this. He's in good hands, and if I know Ed, he'll pull through. For now, you just get some rest and be prepared to deal with the results and everything that comes with it. Leave it to the rest of us to support you from below and make sure you and Ed don't fall too far. We won't lose him, Roy. Trust me on this."

The two friends were silent for a moment. Hughes picked up a donut and began to nibble on it while looking at his friend. Roy had let his mask slip a bit as he sipped his coffee. Hughes could see that his friend was worried and worn down. It was very rare that Hughes saw his friend like this and he knew if someone else came upon them, that mask would once again appear on Roy's face.

"Colonel Mustang," the doctor said.

Hughes sighed. There went the mask.

"My name is Dr. Kamina. I wanted to update you on Edward's condition."

Roy nodded as if to tell the Doctor to proceed.

"It seems that Edward was poisoned. It's a very slow acting poison that attacks the immune system bit by bit. I was looking over the records, and it seemed as if the doctors had some trouble getting Edward to eat and that he was under a lot of stress. Most likely that caused the poison to be a bit more active. We've given him something to flush it out of his system and reduce his fever. He should be fine, but we want to keep him here for a little while just to make sure."

Mustang nodded before taking a big swig of coffee. Though his mask was back up, Hughes could tell that he was worried about Edward.

"Thank you Doctor," Mustang said as he watched the doctor walk away.

The two of them were silent for a moment before Roy opened his mouth again.

"Hughes, I want you to look into this and see what you can find. He's been sick since before he came into my care and he won't say anything to me about what happened the day Alphonse died. I think you will be more successful at finding out what happened then I would."

Hughes nodded before he turned to head back to headquarters.

"Hughes,"

He turned back to face his friend.

"Be careful and let me know anything you find out."

"I will Roy. Take care of Edward."

"I will."


	10. Investigations

**_A Trial of Sin  
Chapter 9: Investigation  
_December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

* * *

**Mustang and Hughes walked into Edward's hospital room. Edward had been in the hospital for three weeks and the military was undergoing an investigation. The Colonel was considered a suspect in the case, so he was not allowed to take the young alchemist home. Hughes had received word from the hospital that Ed was conscious and coherent enough to answer some questions. **

**Roy could not come to visit Ed without another officer so when Maes had heard that he was going to go talk to Ed, he immediately called his friend to see if he wanted to come. Ed was laying down in bed looking out his window. He turned as the two officers entered. The young alchemist attempted a smile.**

"**Hey Ed, How are you doing?" Hughes said a bit more enthusiastically than one should in this situation.**

"**Um…all right, I guess," Ed replied, his voice was still a bit hoarse from the hospital trying to get the poison out of his system and hook ups from his minor surgery from where the poison had messed with his lungs.**

**Mustang didn't say anything. He leaned against the wall and listened to the lighthearted conversation between Hughes and Edward. It was good to see that Ed was doing better. His memories of carrying an unconscious Ed and finding our about the poison stuck haunted him more than anything else.**

"**Roy, you're awfully quiet," Hughes said.**

"**I'm just letting you talk, Maes," he replied.**

**Ed and Hughes looked at each other. The Colonel was acting weird.**

"**What's eating you, bastard," Ed said as he tried to sit up wincing in pain.**

"**Take it easy, Ed," Hughes warned.**

"**Lay down, Edward. I'm just worried that's all," Roy said.  
****  
The room was silent for a moment. Hughes sighed. He needed to get on with the investigation.**

"**Edward, do you have any idea who could have done this to you?"**

"**No, I don't."**

"**Who came to visit you while you were in the hospital?"**

"**I had a lot of military come and ask me questions about what happened. Other than that it was you, Gracia, and Elyssia, or Mustang's crew."**

"**Do you remember any of the names of the other officers that came to see you?"**

"**No, I didn't think they were important and I wanted to not think about what happened."**

"**How many times did Roy come and see you?"**

"**What does that have anything to do with anything?"**

"**He's a suspect since he is your caretaker, though we suspect that you were poisoned while still in the hospital."**

"**He didn't come till the day he came to get me from the hospital. Why do you think I was poisoned at the Hospital?"**

"**We've been investigating this around the clock. Since we started, we discovered that there were three other deaths. Whoever did this didn't really care and since these victims were in the Hospital the same time as you. It's possible that one of the workers or someone who visited you frequently slipped it into your IV or hospital food. It was a very slow acting poison and you've been the least active of all of them thanks to the Colonel's insistence that you stay in bed as much as possible. Out of the cases we know of, you're the only one to survive. I think with all of this evidence, I can clear Roy and get you back home."**

"**You're sure you can clear me, Maes," Mustang said, concern in his voice.**

"**You were in the hospital one time. If you came more than once, doctors or nurses would have seen you and throw Edward's testimony out. I seriously doubt either of you would lie to me so we have nothing to worry about. There were others that were poisoned at the same time as Ed, and you didn't have any contact with them."**

"**Because I came in once," Mustang muttered sick of Hughes repeating himself.**

"**The toxin levels were the same for those that died as they were for Edward which means that that you weren't giving him any poison while Ed was staying with you. It clears you indefinitely."**

"…**and if they argue the case?" Ed asked.**

"**I'll just remind them that they were the ones who insisted that the Colonel would be the best caretaker for you. They'd be embarrassed at that and worry about it getting out."**

"**So when can I get out of here? Hospital food sucks," the blond alchemist said as he sulked.**

"**Doctors say you have to stay here for another week or two just to be sure that you're going to be fine. It's just a precaution. They normally don't make people stay this long…" Hughes said taking a deep breath.**

"…**but then again they don't deal with people getting poisoned all the time," the dark haired Colonel said clearly aggravated.**

"**Yes, that and the hospital had been told not release Ed until the State found someone to take care of him. Look on the bright side, Roy; once you're clear, Ed can probably return back home with you," Hughes said cheerfully causing the other two to give him a strange look.**

"**Why is it you can always do that?" Ed asked Hughes.**

"**Do what?"**

"…**Be so damn happy when there's nothing to be happy about," Mustang said after he and Ed exchanged another look.**

"**If I was so depressed like you two all the time, we would never have any fun. Anyway, I'm going to go document something real quick. Do you think I can leave the two of you alone and you won't rip out each other's throats?"**

"**I think we'll be all right for five minutes. Go do what you need to do, Hughes."**

"**All right, play nice you two," he said as she slipped out the door with a goofy grin on his face.**

**Roy stood there for a moment. He wanted to ask Edward so many questions, personal questions that were bound to hurt both of them.**

"**I know you want to ask me something, bastard. Just get it over with."**

"**First tell me how you're really feeling,"**

"**Terrible. It hurts to breath and I have a really bad headache. It doesn't help that the doctors keep poking and prodding and asking all those questions that I don't have answers to."**

"**Edward, when did you know something was wrong with you?" Mustang asked, "Why didn't you say anything to me?"**

"**I've been sick since I left the hospital. First it was dizzy spells and weakness in my muscles and then the more active I got, the more I started fainting and coughing. I started having trouble breathing the day Hughes, Havoc, and Hawkeye came to visit. I didn't say anything, because I thought it would just pass. I thought…" he paused**

"…**that you were just sick from all the drama you did in the hospital in the first place," Mustang said.**

**Edward looked away, confirming that what Mustang said was correct.**

"**Did you think I was going to be upset or angry? Edward, I'm responsible for your health and well being. I have to worry about those things now and to be honest, I do get upset. Not at you, or at the fact that you're sick, but at my inadequacies in taking care of you. I'm angry at myself and for the first time in my life I was terrified at the thought of you dying, anyone dying."**

**Ed was quiet, listening intently to what the Colonel was saying. It was the first time he had ever heard the Colonel spill his guts without any argument or prompting. Mustang ran a hand through his hair.**

"**I just want you to trust me a bit more Ed. I don't want something like this to happen again. I keep telling you that over and over again and I hope that one of these times it will finally sink in."**

**The room was silent for a moment. Roy held his breath hoping to get an honest answer from Ed.**

"**It'll sink in when I can do a successful Human Transmutation, you bastard."**

**The Colonel sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by his younger ward.**

"**At least that's what I want to say, but I guess I can't keep saying that. You ruined all my fun."**

**The raven haired man smiled for the first time in days. Now he could only hope that his young ward wasn't lying to him.**

"**Someone has to; you get away with too much."**

"…**too much of what?" Hughes asked as he reentered the room.**

"**Nothing, you need to worry about, Hughes. Ed and I were just coming to an understanding."**

"**Well good, it's about time you two play along. I hate to cut this short, but the doctors want to come in and see how Ed is doing. We'll be back tomorrow to see how you're Ed. Until then, I suggest you get some rest and let us take care of all this stuff."**

**Ed nodded slightly. The Colonel rose from his chair and towards the door. He walked out followed by Hughes. The walked down the hall a bit, before Roy opened his mouth.**

"**Maes,"**

"**Yes, Roy,"**

"**When you find the bastard who did this? Let me know?"**

"**Roy, your not going to do anything rash again are you?"**

"**No, I just want to make it so that he wishes he'd never messed with Ed."**

"**Roy, that's not a good idea."**

"**Don't worry; I know what I'm doing. I have a hunch that this is the military's doing so I know that there's only so much I can do, but I'll figure something. You just catch this guy. I'll take care of the rest."**


	11. Home

_**A Trial of Sin  
**_**_Chapter 10: Home  
_December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. I've been so busy with work and school that I've been lacking the motivation to write. Not that I'm going to stop, but I've had much more of a need to sleep than to write. I hope to get some more writing done this weekend, but if not, I hope to have some new stuff up soon. Enjoy!**

* * *

A certain blond teenager was staring up at the ceiling from his spot on his bed. He silently fumed over the fact that he was once again confined to his bed. If there was one thing he hated it was having that bastard of a Colonel take care of him. Not that Ed had the strength to defy him. He smirked, however, as he remembered the events of that morning.

Yeah he had raised hell from the hospital till he got into the house, but he hadn't expected the Colonel to retreat so easily. The bastard had probably forgotten about him and was out with some pretty lady. Edward huffed as he rolled over to his side. He didn't care about Mustang in the least bit, let alone what he was doing, yet it bothered him that the Colonel hadn't come to check on him.

"Damn it all, damn it all to hell."

* * *

Colonel Mustang sat in his kitchen over a cup of coffee and the daily paper. A smirk covered his face as he heard Ed curse at something. Served the pesky teenager right for causing so much trouble…No the Colonel was not going in to see what was wrong. Not after all the grief he got this morning. He thought back on that small event.

* * *

"I know, I know, you bastard!"

Roy sighed as he and Lt. Havoc helped his stubborn ward out of the car. As Hughes had predicted, once the raven haired man was cleared from the suspect list, Ed was released back into his care. He was, however, under strict order to keep the blond hot-head under constant bed rest, but knowing Ed, it wouldn't last for very long. The Colonel had hoped that the two of them had come to an understanding in the hospital, but that too seemed shattered at this point in time.

"Ed, we're just trying to help. You don't have to yell at the Colonel so much," Havoc said coming to his superior's defense.

"Shut up!"

"Edward, why don't you shut up and sit still. I can assure you, if you don't, I will make the next couple of weeks hell for you."

The younger of the two alchemists glared at the elder, but stopped his verbal tirade. Mustang and Havoc were finally able to get Edward into the house and to his bedroom.

The commanding officer released his subordinate with a nod and turned his attention back to his ward. The said person had his arms crossed and his facial expression showed he was clearly unhappy with what the Colonel.

"Edward…"

"Don't start with me. You got me into the house now leave me alone."

"No, we're going to talk and then you are going to rest."

The younger alchemist snorted, "Fine, but if all you're going to do is lecture me then save it for someone who cares."

"I'm going to try not to lecture you, but I think I have the right to know why you're acting this way. You told me in the hospital that you would never get better if you didn't start listening to me at least a little bit. Damn it Ed, why does everything have to be so complicated with you?"

Ed let Mustang finish his argument. He glared at his former superior with pure loathing. If anything, he felt like he had the right to be in a bad mood. The young alchemist was in pain, and tired. That should account for something should it.

"I'll answer you later, bastard. I'm not feeling good and all I want to do is sleep, OK."

Realization clicked in the Colonel's eyes. He should have known that Ed's attitude stemmed from the fact that he was tired and probably in pain. After all, it had been a very long morning of paperwork and attempting to move the teenager from place to place.

"I understand. Get some sleep, and we'll talk later," he said in a softer voice before leaving the room.

* * *

The only other reason that Mustang left the room was because he could see that their talk at the hospital had sunk in. Unfortunately, Ed was stubborn and still healing from his illnesses. He knew that the more he pushed Edward and argued with him, he knew the stubborn boy would fight back with everything he had. The Colonel knew that Edward just needed some space and a chance to heal.

"Bastard," came a call from the bedroom.

He didn't know if his young ward was cursing for him or calling for him. The elder man sighed and put down the paper. He better go see what Edward wanted. After knocking softly on the door he stuck his head in.

"You called," he said.

"Hn, I didn't think you were listening."

"I was just in the kitchen reading the paper. Did you need something?"

"Well, I didn't really call you, but since you're here could you get me some water."

Mustang smiled as he said, "Sure."

He got the water and returned to Edward. Instead of leaving though, he took a seat next to his young ward.

"I know you're probably sick of hearing this asked, but are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, I'm all right. I'm out of that damn hospital with the crappy food. Though I don't particularly like being in bed."

"Well, if you stay in bed and rest, you'll get well faster and then you can start to do things like you used to."

"But I can't do anything about the military. I've been discharged and I can't do anything."

"Maybe you should start looking at other options. You know that if this investigation into the death of your brother goes sour, you may never be allowed to return to the military."

They were silent as the words sank in.

"I know, and what would be the point. Al's gone now and I'm back to normal so there's no point in continuing my research, but the only thing I strongly excel at is alchemy."

"Well at least you have some time to still figure out what you want to do. I would suggest just working on your recovery and then we can work on what you can do about your future. There are more options for using alchemy to help the people than being a member of the military."

"Did you just say we?" the younger asked in a mocking tone.

"…if you want my help. I'm not going to force my help on you, but if you want it…"

"Got it."

"For now, Ed, just enjoy living a semi-peaceful at home," the Colonel said as he rose to leave.

"Home…"

"What?"

"I just haven't had one in a while, so it's a bit weird, especially to think of your place as home."

"It's only a home if you want it to be."

Edward watched as the Colonel left the room. He thought about considering the Colonel's home his home. The young alchemist allowed a smirk to cross his face.

_I live with a bastard, but who knows. Maybe I can think of this place as my home._


	12. Unexpected Decisions

**_A Trial of Sin  
_Chapter 11: Unexpected Decisions  
December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

**A/N:** I am so sorry for my lack of updates. My schedule has been really hectic and I've also had writer's block on a lot of these stories. I hope this was worth the wait and if it wasn't…please vote to have this story updated more often in my poll. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The sun began to cast a muted light as it started to rise over the horizon of East City. Edward leaned on the windowsill of his bedroom. He clutched a coffee cup in his hand as he enjoying watching the sunrise. After a month of recovery, he was sick of being stuck in the Colonel's house. More than anything else, he wished he could return to work for the military.

He heard an alarm start to blare from another room followed by a crash. He smirked knowing the Colonel was going to have another late start. Ed sighed and pushed himself from the window seal and went downstairs to the kitchen. The blond-haired teen placed his mug on the counter before grabbing a clean cup and proceeded to fill both mugs with coffee.

At first, Ed was a little surprised at the small similarities between him and the Colonel. They both drank their coffee the same way, and they liked to sleep in. It irked him at first, but lately they had fallen into a routine. Ed had been rising earlier lately because he was getting sick of resting. He would make coffee and when the Colonel couldn't get himself out of bed, the younger alchemist would wake the bastard up and offer him coffee. Hawkeye had even gone out of their way to thank Ed for getting Roy to work on time.

Ed twisted the doorknob and cracked it before kicking it open. He stomped loudly towards the bed. Mustang's only response was to put the pillow over his head. Ed placed the coffee mugs on the night stand before flinging open the curtains.

"Rise and shine bastard before Hawkeye comes in here and shoots us both."

"Just five more minutes, Ed."

"No, because every time I come back you will ask for five more minutes until you're late. I have a reputation to uphold, you know."

The pillow came up and dark sleep filled eyes attempted to glare at the younger alchemist. Ed smirked before picking up his coffee mug and leaned on the wall closest to the window. The Flame alchemist sat up and grabbed his coffee from the night stand. He took a sip before he studied the teen in front of him.

Mustang knew that Ed was bored sitting around the house. For the past month, he had petitioned to have Ed do minor work in the military. Hughes had even put in his two-sense since they still hadn't found who had poisoned the young alchemist and tried to get thehigher-ups to bring Ed back as a researcher or state librarian at the very least.

Ed had really bounced back within the last month as well. The pale, weak boy that had existed last month was gone and the fiery teenager had returned. The elder alchemist knew it was only a matter of time before Ed would be craving to work again.

_He wants to get back to work already; he's just not going to say anything. His pride won't allow it._

"Hey Colonel"

"What?"

"If you don't want a bullet in your head, I suggest you get moving."

Mustang looked at his wall clock. He paled slightly.

"Shit!"

He threw off his sheets and took off swiftly for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Fullmetal, you better be out of my room when I get back."

The teen smirked.

_I'm glad I set his clock fifteen minutes fast. It's worth it to see his reaction this early in the morning._

* * *

  
_I am going to kill Fullmetal when I get home._

He had arrived to work fifteen minutes early earning odd stares from the soldiers in Central and jeers from his subordinates. Even Hawkeye was shocked at how early he was.

"Oh come on Colonel, being early makes a good impression. Ed was just trying to help you with that," Havoc said with a laugh.

"I don't see what's so funny Lieutenant; perhaps I should find a way to amuse everyone," the dark haired man said as he snapped on oneof his gloves.

Havoc stopped laughing and retreated to the next. The others got really quiet with the tense mood of their superior officer was giving off. Lt. Hawkeye entered the room next.

"Sir, with all due respect, I realize that you're upset, but you don't have to take it out on your subordinates."

He sighed, "I know Hawkeye and I'm not really frustrated at the fact that I got here early…"

She waited for him to elaborate, but he let his statement hang in the air.

"Then what is bothering you, sir."

"If Edward is feeling well enough to play pranks, then he's restless. I'm waiting for him to get to a point that he's going to…well…"

"Do something stupid?"

"You know how he is Hawkeye. When Ed isn't happy he gets reckless and when we try to steer him in the right direction, he feels like he has everything under control and lashes out."

"He is a teenage, sir," Hawkeye said as the door swung open to reveal Hughes.

"Yo Roy, look what I have," Hughes said as he started to pull out pictures of his daughter.

"HUGHES! I WILL TORCH THE NEXT PICTURE OF YOUR DAUGHTER THAT I SEE!"

The room was silent. Hawkeye stared at her superior while Hughes dropped the folder and pictures he had in his hands. They had never heard Mustang yell like that before. Hawkeye decided it was time for her to leave and let the two friends figure things out.

"Roy, what has gotten into you?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out, Maes."

"Edward?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I might have some good news for you."

Friends looked each other in the face. Hughes bent down and picked up the discarded folder. He handed it to Mustang who opened it swiftly and scanned the content. The alchemist placed the folder on his desk with a sigh of relief.

"Well, what does it say?"

"With the investigation going on about the attempted murder of Edward Elric, parliament is beginning to think that the death of Alphonse Elric is not Edward's fault. They are willing to let Edward back into the military on a trial basis. They are temporarily reinstating him as an alchemist, because of his natural ability in the area, but whether he remains is going to be based on the investigation and evaluations of his superior officers."

"Well that's a good thing,"

"But there are still a lot of things to overcome…"

"Yes, but if we all work together, things will turn out all right."

The two of them were silent for a moment. They were trying to take everything in.

"Well, now we just have one last thing to do," Mustang said allowing a smirk to cross his face.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"We have to go tell Fullmetal."


	13. Getting Back On My Feet Again

**_Trial of Sin  
Chapter 12: Back On My Feet Again  
_December 23, 2005  
By CCD**

**This was in the number three spot tied with Brother's if you want to raise this up to** **the top for a faster update then…Vote, Vote, VOTE!**

* * *

A pair of golden eyes stared at the occupant sleeping in the bed. He was debating letting the dark haired bastard oversleep, but considering the news he had received the other day…

* * *

(Flashback)

"Edward, are you here," Mustang called out from the doorway before entering.

He was followed in by Hughes. The Lieutenant Colonel gave him a goofy grin before they heard a response.

"I'm in the kitchen."

The two officers walked into the kitchen to see Ed sitting at the table. The teen was reading the local newspaper while eating a sandwich.

"You're home early. What excuse did you give the Lieutenant to get off early?"

"None, Lt. Colonel Hughes and I are here on official military business."

The blond gave them a confused look. The two military men looked at each other before Hughes stepped forward and handed Edward an envelope addressed to him. He took it and opened it quickly before reading the contents of the letter. When he finished, he placed the letter back down on the table before leaning back in his chair and turned away from his fellow officers in the military.

"So, they now expect foul play in Al's death and although I'm being allowed back into the military as a state alchemist, I'm being babysat and monitored."

"At least you can continue your research, Ed. You will of course be working on military projects at first, but if you can complete them without too much trouble, you can continue searching for what you sought," Hughes said trying to cheer the young alchemist up.

"What's the point now? Al's gone and…"

"He may be gone, but you're still alive. If you no longer want to pursue that avenue of research, then you could try to find a way to use your alchemy for some good. The military is not as corrupt as it was when the Fuhrer was in charge," Roy said as he looked at his ward.

The three men were silent. Hughes smiled as he watched his best friend and Ed interact. It was almost as if they were father and son.

"I'll come back to the military for now because I don't have any means to support myself right now, but I may not stay. I will think about what you've said and figure this out one way or another."

* * *

The news was more on the good side than the bad, but that didn't mean that the blond haired alchemist was pleased. He was getting restless sitting in Mustangs house all day and was itching to delve back into alchemy, but he no longer wanted to do it for the military. It was because of all the grief both the Military and the Homunculi caused him that eventually led to the creation of the Philosopher's Stone, and the death of his brother.

He smirked and turned to walk out of the bastard's bedroom door. Today was his first day back at work and he was not going to wake the elder man…or be late.

* * *

Roy Mustang was not a morning person, therefore he wasn't a very punctual person when it came to getting to work, but he never thought it would warrant a death sentence. He pushed open the door to his office to see a pistol pointed at his forehead.

"Um…Leiutenant, what did I do now?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"This is going to be the last time you are going to be late Colonel. The next time I will shoot."

"Um, not to make fun of you or anything Lieutenant, but you always say that. What makes this any different than other times?"

"If Edward can get here on time, and you live in the same house, then you should be able to get here at the same time."

"Fullmetal is here?"

"Well he was here. He went to the library to do some research for a project the military left for him. Major Armstrong brought a folder in for him this morning."

"That was quick. I thought they would have him do a desk job at first."

"With all do respect, sir, I would think that they wouldn't want one of their prized alchemists to go to waste."

"That is true, but still it is a little fast."

* * *

"Do you think this is wise, Edward?" Hughes said as he held a latter steady for his younger comrade.

"Yeah, I need to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my career. I can't seek for the Philosopher's Stone anymore. After all, knowing what I know now won't help my case if someone else would find out about it and I don't need to seek it for my own sake. It won't bring my mom or Al back without a huge price. I don't need that over my head right now."

"What about your paperwork?"

"It's due tomorrow. I'll take it home and work on it while the Colonel is asleep. I looked at it already and it shouldn't take me too long to complete it."

"You're stubborn and resilient, but do you think you can do it? Do you think you can achieve something that no one else has really been able to do?"

"I will atone for everything I caused, Hughes. I want to find a way to really help people with my alchemy. They don't call me the 'Hero of the People' for nothing. I need to earn my place back as a member of society. Not as a dog of the military."

"Well, if this is what you want, I won't say a word to Roy. He would try to stop you if he knew. And I'll back you up as long as you promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't over do it and be careful?"

The blond smirked a little.

"Don't worry, I will."


	14. That Which is Hidden

**A Trial of Sin – Chapter 13: **That Which is Hidden  
**Story Started: **December 23, 2005  
**Chapter Started/Completed: **September 30, 2008/October 6, 2008  
**CCD**

**A/N:** I'm so sorry about my lack of updates lately. I've been working on my original stuff and I've been busy, so I haven't given my fan fiction much thought lately. Sad, I know, but I haven't given up on them. This was number two on the polls so here's a new chapter. Hope you guys enjoy!

REMEMBER TO VOTE! (for your favorite 3 stories. This was number two and it came up from being tied for number 3 last time)

* * *

"FULLMETAL, WHERE ARE YOU!"

Edward looked up from the book he was looking at, he glanced at the clock to see that he had been so engrossed in his work that he hadn't noticed the time. The lazy ass Colonel was just ready to go home. Ed gathered his paperwork and walked towards the entrance to the library. The librarian was giving the Colonel an ugly glare. Behind the Colonel, Hughes was trying to keep from laughing.

"I'm right here. You couldn't come look for me like normal people do?"

"I did, but I didn't see you, after all, you are really short."

The younger alchemist fumed, but he didn't say anything which was rare for him.

"I'm tired, let's head back to the house. I need to finish my paperwork and then I want to get some sleep."

He walked passed his two superior officers and headed for the waiting car. Mustang and Hughes watched as he opened the door, climbed in, and slammed it shut.

"Is it just me or is Ed really mad at you," Hughes asked glancing at his friend.

"He's mad, but I'm not sure if he's mad at me or if he is mad at something or someone else. He's been pleasant lately and I think he's starting to be happy, but I can't really say for sure."

"Do you think he'll be in the mood to talk about the investigation?"

"Probably not, but you always know how to get a good response out of him."

The investigation into Edward's attempted murder was at a standstill. Hughes hadn't questioned the teen since he was in the hospital, and he hoped that now that Edward was fully recovered, he might remember something.

"I suppose you're right. In any case, I could remind him that others could be killed, and that he nearly was killed. It might provoke him to say something."

Mustang climbed into the back of the car with Ed while Hughes climbed into the front passenger seat next to Lt. Havoc. The four of them didn't say a word as they road all the way to Mustang's home. When they arrived, the blond alchemist opened the door and slammed it shut again before entering the house without a word. The three men heard a door slam from inside the house.

"Um…what's going on with the chief," Havoc said in a puzzled tone.

"We're about to go find out," Mustang said as he climbed out of the car followed by Hughes.

"Lt. Havoc, I have a lot of things to cover with Ed and Roy, so I'll probably end up spending the night here. Why don't you head home and pick us up tomorrow," Hughes said with a smirk as he walked to the door leaving the stunned Lieutenant outside.

* * *

"Edward, open this door right now, or I will burn it down!"

"Um…Roy, I don't think that's the greatest idea. You could burn down more than the door," Hughes said trying to calm his friend down.

"Well then, what do you suggest I do?"

"Let me handle it. Go down and make some tea. We'll all need a level head if we're going to get some headway on this."

The dark haired alchemist looked at his friend and then the locked bedroom door that held their blond-haired companion. He sighed and without a word, he went downstairs. Hughes waited until he was sure that the Colonel was completely downstairs before knocking on the door.

"Ed, it's me. I sent the Colonel downstairs, so can you please open the door so we can talk."

He paused and listed only to hear a faint clicking noise of the door unlocking. When nothing else happened he reached up and turned the doorknob. He opened the door slowly to see Edward was sitting over his desk looking at military paperwork. The teen was tired and irritable.

"Edward…"

"I'm almost done. Just two more papers and we can talk, Hughes."

The elder man sat down on the bed and waited for the other to finish. With a small flourish, he placed his pen down and neatly stacked his papers before placing them into the folder they came in.

"I'm done now, Hughes."

"Well, there is something important, that I want to talk to you about, but first, I want to know how you're doing?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired today, that's all."

"And I suppose that's why you're moody," Hughes said with a smirk.

"A little…I more or less mad that Mustang could have discovered what it is I'm doing."

"I still think you should tell him. He might be able to help you get some of your research accomplished."

Ed shook his head and looked down at the floor. The last thing he needed was to tell Roy Mustang what he was doing.

"If I tell Mustang, then it could get back to the higher ups. I don't need any interference right now, if they take it the wrong way. This is something I need to do on my own, until the military trusts me again."

"Why are you so concerned about all of this, Ed. You've told me what you're doing, but not why?"

"I told you because I knew I could trust you not to say a word to anyone. As for the why, I haven't quite figured that out myself. Just let it go for now and I promise, when I figure out why, you'll be the first to know."

"Is that why you won't tell anyone else? …Because you don't have any justification for what you're doing?"

Hughes waited for an answer. He saw Ed smirk before he opened his mouth.

"The truth is, Hughes, I do have a reason, but it's a selfish one. I want to have a better reason to do it."

"Even a selfish reason, can be a valid one. Let's hear it and maybe I can help you find the other reason."

The silence filled the air with a small tension. Ed sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves before speaking once again.

"I promised Al and Mom that I would live, and take good care of myself. Once I did that, I needed to find a way to make that happen. It's the only reason I have for doing what I'm doing, but for the state to find it valid research, it has to be for their benefit or for the benefit of others."

"You could use it to benefit others though."

"Yes, but I'm not sure I could face failing someone again. Not someone who put their complete faith in me…expects me to help them, and I can't do it. I can't make myself believe that I can do some good with this."

Hughes listened to his dilemma. He understood how the young teen felt. He had failed his mother, brother, and many others. His biggest fear was failing again.

"Ed, only time will be able to help you. You can only try your best, and when your best falls short. You have others you can lean on. I'll keep your secret until you find that strength to try again, but for now, let's let the chips fall where they need to."

The blond nodded and smiled.

"Thanks Hughes, I needed to hear that."

"Now, there's something else we need to discuss, and unfortunately, we have to include Roy in on this, so let's go downstairs and get this done."

* * *

The three men sat around the table. Hughes placed a set of documents in front of them to look at.

"Ed, it's hard to admit this, but we're at a standstill as far as the investigation into your poisoning goes. I need to ask you if there is anything you can remember, now that you're healed. Anything at all…"

The two elder men looked at the younger. He looked like he had something to say, but was reluctant to say it.

"Edward, if you have something to say, then spit it out," Mustang said in a commanding tone.

"Fine, but don't chew me out. I just got the results back today and it was on a hunch."

"What was?" Hughes asked as he gave his friend a harsh look.

"I know you had a theory about me being poisoned while I was in the hospital, but after thinking back, I had only been sick since I had started living with the Colonel. I started to think about it, and I decided to have the medicine prescribed to me tested for poisons."

"And?" Mustang questioned, clearly upset at the whole situation.

"It was laced with an unknown poison that ate away at me slowly. That's why we never noticed it at first. On my good days, I would get up and move around which brought about my bad days when I could barely get out of bed."

"I see, so when you would be active, it would cause the poison to spread faster," Hughes said, thinking aloud.

"Yeah, but I think because the dosage was so small, it took a long time to actually achieve any devastating results."

"What led you to look at your medicine, though," Mustang asked, giving his ward a questioning glare.

Ed thought for a moment. Truth be told it was his research, but he wasn't about to tell Mustang that.

"Like I said, it was a hunch. I had nothing better to go on and Hughes had told me they were hitting dead ends, so I just experimented," Ed shrugged.

"Well, at least you gave us something more that we could work with. Good work, Ed. Do you have your medication still?" Hughes asked.

"Yeah, it's in my room with the results."

"Great, I'll take this back to the investigations department and we'll check out the next lead tomorrow…"

As Hughes continued to gush over the new lead, Mustang watched his young ward carefully. When he asked Ed what led him to believe his medicine had been tampered with, the young alchemist had paused and lied to him. He had known Ed long enough to know when the younger alchemist was lying to him and he was also avoiding him too much lately. He stood causing his chair to scrape across the kitchen linoleum.

"Edward, I need to talk to you,"

"Ok…what about?"

"Outside! Now!"

He turned to walk out missing the look shared between Hughes and Ed. Ed did get up and follow him though. Mustang pulled the front door shut behind him. They stared at each other a long time. Ed was the first to speak.

"So, are we both just going to stare at each other or are you going to say what you wanted to talk about?"

"Why are you avoiding and lying to me?"

"Who said I was…"

"Don't give me that crap, Edward. I know you've been avoiding me and lying to me the past couple of weeks and I want to know why!" Mustang was yelling now.

"I'm not so there's nothing to tell you!" Ed yelled back, trying hard not to spill his precious secret.

"You won't talk to me, but you'll talk to Hughes, and you lied to me when I asked you what made you look into your tampered medication. I know you well enough to see the signs. What are you doing Edward?"

"Colonel…please just drop it. It's not something I can tell you right now, OK."

"Is it military related?"

"I'm not going to say another word about it. Goodnight Colonel," Ed said before he went back inside.

The Colonel was left outside with his thoughts. What would it take to get Ed to tell him what was going on? What could he do to find out? He was lost as to what to do, but determined to do it anyway.

"Fine, but if it's the last thing I do, Edward, I will find out what you're doing."


End file.
